AGPAL Surveyors
Shaping the safety and quality of
general practice in Australia.
What is an AGPAL Surveyor?
An AGPAL Surveyor is a contractor that assesses general practices for accreditation against the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) Standards for general practices 5th edition.
The AGPAL Assessment Team is made up of a GP Surveyor and a Co-Surveyor who work together to carry out an accreditation assessment. Working directly with our clients, AGPAL Surveyors will share their knowledge and discuss quality improvement opportunities with clients as part of their on-site assessment.
AGPAL Surveyors are the ‘face of our company’ and committed to shaping safety and quality within general practice.
GP Surveyors
GP Surveyors are fully qualified and practicing general practitioners.
The role of a GP Surveyor varies with focus on assessing the clinical components of the RACGP Standards.
Co-Surveyors
AGPAL Co-Surveyors generally focus on the governance and operational facets of accreditation. Co-Surveyors are commonly from a background in practice management, nursing, allied health, or Aboriginal health workers or practitioners with relevant experience in general practice.
Looking for more information about the accreditation process?
What's a surveyor's role in accreditation?
The three main phases of a surveyor’s work are:
- The pre-assessment reading
- The on-site assessment, and
- The post-assessment reporting.
Pre-assessment reading
Pre-assessment reading includes the client’s self-assessment of their practice against the RACGP Standards and relevant legislation.
On-site assessment
During the on-site assessment, Surveyors gather evidence of the practice’s level of compliance against the Standards by completing the required observations and interview activities. The Assessment Team may identify how to best support the practice with quality improvements by making recommendations to close potential or actual gaps in service, or discussing additional opportunities.
This input is intended to drive continuous improvement in areas that are relevant and important to the practice; thus, contributing to continuous improvement in safety and quality of the primary healthcare sector.
The minimum on-site assessment time is four hours, but it can be more based on the practice’s size and staff numbers.
Post-assessment reporting
The third and final phase of an assessment is completed when surveyors report their findings and recommendations to AGPAL.
Reports are quality checked to ensure objectivity and validity of findings. The final report is the principle source of evidence used by our Decision Makers to determine the awarding of accreditation or corrective actions required.
The entire assessment process is facilitated by AGPAL’s proprietary software, AccreditationPro. From the time a client submits their self-assessment to when AGPAL awards them accreditation, AccreditationPro is our supporting technological tool.
AccreditationPro enables our surveyors to be certain that all requirements of the Standards have been consistently and comprehensively assessed. AGPAL Surveyors are confident their ratings and recommendations are accurate, objective and valuable.
Interested in becoming an AGPAL Surveyor?
Surveyors in Focus
Travel, nature and learning from the locals on a week-long accreditation adventure
Surveying since 1997 – Daphne Kneale, AGPAL Co-Surveyor
A ‘Pair of Surveyors’ accreditation adventure
Travel, nature and learning from the locals on a week-long accreditation adventure
Surveying since 1997 – Daphne Kneale, AGPAL Co-Surveyor